I Miss My Friend
by Awahili
Summary: A touching look into the greatest partnership of all time. Short little standalone with sequel by request. Please R&R. I'd like to know what people think. It's my first one of this type. FINAL INSTALLMENT ADDED
1. I Miss My Friend

I heard this song and for some reason was inspired.  I've been thinking about it and finally decided to write it down.  The song is "I Miss My Friend" by Daryl Worley.  I don't own it or the X-Men mentioned here.  I did make up Nancy Carrigan, but as that's probably someone's name, it's not mine either.  *sigh*  I hope everyone enjoys this and reviews to tell me so.  Just a little look into the best partnership of all time.

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20 year-old freshman Jubilation Lee sat in her college dorm room, sulking.  _I hate chemistry, she thought wearily.  For a second, she thought about calling Hank at the mansion; he could surely help her, but she didn't want to run the risk of Logan picking up the phone.  She had been accepted to Berkeley the year before; complications with a mission had delayed her entry into college.  She told Logan, but he had wanted her to stay closer to the mansion.  She closed her eyes and tried to shut it all out, but the conversation came back full force in her mind._

"Darlin, why don't ya stay closer to the mansion."

"Wolvie, this is _Berkeley we're talking about.  How many chances like this will I get?"_

"Harvard is closer and a better med school anyway.  I'll have Chuck call and get you an interview."

"No!  _I applied to Berkeley and got in without any help.  I wanna go there!"_

"But that's so far away from the mansion and me."

_That had been the moment I snapped.__  "What does it matter?!  You're never here anyway!"  __I walked out then, haven't seen him since._

She pulled herself out of her reverie, realizing she had tears running down her face.  _Pull yourself together Jubes, what if Nance walks in?  She wiped her eyes, and fell back onto her bed.  She flipped on her stereo and turned the dial to one of those national country countdowns.  For some strange reason, she was in a country mood.  A soft piano played, accompanied by an acoustic.  _

_Great, she thought, __just what I need__.  Despite herself, she listened to the song.  _

_I miss the look of surrender in your eyes, the way your soft brown hair would fall._

She snorted at the irony of the song.  She always loved the way she could get "her Wolvie" to do anything.

_I miss the power of your kiss when we made love, oh but baby most of all__, I miss my friend._

She thought back to her romanticism philosophy class, where Professor Bines had said that "making love" did not necessarily denote romance.  That was true in her and Logan's case; well, it used to be anyway.  They made the best kind of love; the kind that can't be broken, no matter what.  She once again found herself in tears.  She did miss him.

_The one my heart and soul confided in, the one  I felt the safest with, the one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again, to let the light back in.  I miss my friend_

Oh, how she missed him.

Across the country, the one known as the Wolverine sat back on his couch, reveling in the silence.  The students had been taken on a field trip, so the mansion was almost completely empty.  It was in times like these that he allowed himself to think.  The last time he'd seen her, she had been so angry with him.  _I wonder what she's doing right now.  __Probably laughing with friends; probably doesn't even think about me.  He sighed and clicked on his old radio, mid-song._

_I miss the colors you brought into my life, your golden smile and those blue-green eyes._

_Of course, he thought, __why wouldn't the radio be against me?  He sighed, resigning himself to the song.  He could still see the fire in her eyes when she had yelled at him, and even then, he was proud of her.  Despite all the odds, she had grown up into a beautiful young woman.  His little girl wasn't so little anymore, and he was afraid if he didn't do something, she would walk out of his life.  So he had done what he'd thought was best, and she __had walked out, and angry. _

_I miss your gentle voice in lonely times like now sayin' it'll be alright.  I miss my friend.  _

He half expected her to come bounding through the door, begging him to take her out somewhere, or to watch her roller blade, or just to sit and talk.

_The one my heart and soul confided in, the one  I felt the safest with, the one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again, to let the light back in.  I miss my friend._

"Oh, darlin."

_I miss those times_

Wolvster and Jubes, inseparable.

_I miss those nights_

Spilling secrets and nightmares, finally falling asleep around 2 am.

_I even miss our silly fights_

Which is better, peanut butter or jelly?

_The making up, the morning talks, and those late afternoon walks_

Forgiven in a heartbeat, coffee at 10, roaming the grounds, laughing carefree.

_I miss my friend_

Nancy Carrigan walked into her dorm room and saw her friend in tears.  Carefully, she sat down and flicked the stereo off.

"What's up, J?"

Jubilee sniffed, clearing her eyes.  "That's a great song."  Nancy eyed her skeptically.  "Hey, Nance?  Can I use your cell?  I gotta make a phone call."


	2. When You Come Back to Me Again

Ok, a sequel by popular demand (really, it was a demand from a loyal fan, so that was good enough). Little (ok, a _lot_) angsty. Well worth the time. Enjoy!

For hours, Wolverine sat, hearing the radio, not listening to it at all. With no one else in the house, he had plenty of silence. He refused to answer the phone when it rang, or respond to any stimuli. He was thinking back on all the times he should have let her go, how he should have been there when she needed him, how her life should have been. He didn't register when Cyclops came back with the kids, or when Jean called him down for dinner. The Professor tried to draw him out of his shell, but he refused to answer the door.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the announcer came on the radio, somehow louder than before.

"Alright, now let's take you back a couple years to a hit by the king himself, Garth Brooks. From the movie 'Frequency,' here's 'When You Come Back to Me Again.'" A soft melody slowing faded in, and the rich voice of Garth floated through the room.

_There's a ship out, on the ocean at the mercy of the sea. It's been tossed about, lost and broken wandering aimlessly._

Wolverine's ears perked up. _That sounds like me_, he thought sadly.

_And God somehow you know that ship is me._

He snorted in response, _here we go again._

_'Cause there's a lighthouse, in the harbor shining faithfully._

He closed his eyes, thinking of his little girl once more, for the thousandth time today. She had always been his anchor, his lighthouse in the dark.

_Pouring its light out, across the water for this sinking soul to see that someone out there still believes in me._

_Not anymore,_ he thought. She lost all faith in me the day I tried to make her give up her dream. She probably won't even give me the time of day now.

_On a prayer, in a song, I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on. Raining down, against the wind, I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end_

Despite his best efforts, despite all the walls he had built, deep down, he still wished with all his being that maybe she didn't hate him. And despite what he told himself, or what he would keep telling himself, he would wish it until the end of his days.

_When you come back to me again._

But most of all, he just wanted to see her, to hold her once more. But he knew he had lost his child forever, and no amount of praying or wishing would reverse it.

_There's a moment we all come to in our own time and our own space, where all that we've done, we can undo if our heart's in the right place._

If only he could talk to her once more, tell her he was sorry. He had had good intentions, but he couldn't see past his stubbornness, his unwillingness to let her go.

_On a prayer, in a song, I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on. Raining down, against the wind, I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end; when you come back to me again._

He suddenly had an urge to make a large hole in something. That something happened to be the couch he was sitting on, and his claws extracted with a familiar _snikt._ He was about to rip into the sofa when the doorbell rang. He paused for a moment, catching only snippets of the conversation.

"Oh my…so long…how…been? (then another, quieter voice)…guys…Wolv…" That's all he could make out, but he definitely heard the beginning of his name. Before he could reach the door, the music swelled. 

_And again I see my yesterday's in front of me, unfolding like a mystery. You're changing all that is and used to be._

"Hiya Wolvster." He blinked several times, letting it sink in. She was here, standing in front of him, looking, for all the world, _sheepish_. His little girl was being timid and shy around him.

_On a prayer, in a song, I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on. Raining down, against the wind, I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end_

He smelled the rest of the team behind her, out of sight, and he pulled her in, closing the door behind them. He immediately drew her to him; and for some reason unknown to him she began crying.

_When you come back to me again._

"I'm sorry Wolvie," she managed through her sobs. He ran his fingers through her shoulder length black hair.

"Darlin' you got nothin' to be sorry about. What happened, it's in the past, and we can't change it," he soothed.

She stopped crying, her small bout over, and looked up at her mentor, her father. "But those things I said—"

"Girl, you were forgiven before the door slammed behind ya." She pulled him to her this time. He inhaled her unique scent, noting only miniscule changes, and smiled.

_When you come back to me again._


	3. I Wish You'd Stay

Ok, this is the last installment.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed.  I've decided I like song fics.  Hope everyone enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed writing them.

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He lay on the bed, his arms around his little girl, thinking back on the day.  She had come back; after all that had happened, she had come back.  She'd sobbed into his shirt, apologizing for everything.  The flights and travel had exhausted her, and they had laid down in the bed.  She had fallen asleep immediately, and he had stayed awake, thinking.  He listened to the radio, playing softly in the background, as a light orchestra started.  His sensitive hearing perked up at the notes changed into a soft piano, then to lyrics.

_I talked to my sister in __Memphis__ and I told her you were movin' to town.  Here's her number; she said she'd be glad to show you around_

Jubilee shifted a little, and he moved to accommodate her, never taking his ears off the music.

_I left a map on your front seat just in case you lose your way.  But don't worry, once you reach Sallisaw, it's all interstate_

Wolverine thought back to the day she'd left.  She'd packed everything she owned in her truck and taken off, without so much as a word.  He'd stood in this very room, at the window, and watched her go.

_I know you need to go. But before you do, I want you to know that I wish you the best; and I wish you nothing less  than every thing you've ever dreamed of._

He knew he couldn't, wouldn't, stop her.  She needed to find her own place.  She couldn't always be Wolverine's sidekick.  But it had hurt just the same.

_And__ I hope that you find love along the way.  But most of all I, wish you'd stay_

If it hadn't been for his damned pride, he would have begged her to stay for him, to stay closer to home.  But he hadn't, and she'd moved to the other side of the country.

_I figure right about sundown, you'll be in __West Tennessee__; and by then, maybe I'll understand why you had to leave_

He'd never understand what had compelled her to go.  Then again, he knew perfectly well.  He had taught her to be independent, and she was doing just that.

_I know that you've done some changin' and I know there's no changin' your mind.  Yes, I know, we've been through this a thousand times_

All he could think about was the damned argument.  Her words kept playing over and over in his head.  _"What does it matter?! You're never here anyway!"  Those words alone were the cutting knife to his heart.  True, he hadn't been around, especially when she needed it most.  He had always made some lousy excuse for himself, but in the end, none of it was good enough._

_I'm sorry for still holdin' on.  I'll try to let go and I'll try to be strong_

He had tried, and failed.  He simply could not let this girl walk out of his life forever.  She was too much a part of him now.

_I wish you the best, and I wish you nothing less than every thing you've ever dreamed of_

She deserved it all, everything she ever wanted.  He looked down on her sleeping form, at the girl he'd come to think of as his own.  

_And__ I hope that you find love along the way.  But most of all, I wish you'd stay_

Even now, he knew she wasn't going to be here long.  She had a life, friends, at Berkeley.  She couldn't just drop all that and come back.  No, she needed to make her own life, with the support, but not the interference, of her friends.  _And family_, he amended, _and family._   Once again, he felt her shift, but paid no heed.  The song ended, and he sighed.

"Whatcha thinking about, Wolvie?" her voice cut through the silence, and he turned his head.

"Just thinking.  When ya going back to Cali?"

"Couple of days.  I talked to my professors, told them there was a family emergency.  So they gave me a few days."  She sat up and stretched.  "I am famished."  He raised an eyebrow and she swatted his stomach.  "What are you smirking at?"

"You just used the word 'famished' Jubes."  He sat up, then stood, pulling her to her feet.  "Let's get downstairs.  I think Jean and Rogue are cooking a celebratory dinner."  Jubilee stopped.

"You just used the word 'celebratory' Wolvie."  He ruffled her hair and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder.  She shrieked and squirmed, but realized she was no match for Wolverine's strength.  Everyone watched him walk through the den, and Beast turned to Cyclops.

"How long before she fights back?"  Cyclops shrugged and turned back to the television, smiling.  A paff was heard, and then giggling, then shrieking.  A blur streaked past them, followed by a merrily disgruntled Wolverine.  The team could only smile; the partnership had finally been restored.

_  
  
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